thesidebar Back issues from 2000 to the present and a THE NEWSLETTER OF THE comprehensive, searchable index are available WESTMORELAND BAR ASSOCIATION online at www.westbar.org/thesidebar. VOLUME XXIV, NUMBER 5 NOVEMBER 2012 Westmoreland County Row Offices New Things Under The Sun eah, we all know the row offices. They are, and always have been, those never-changing, immutable, orderly bastions of record keeping and document storing, whose sole function Y in life is to track the quiet transactions of desperate lives. Even the names hearken back to ancient, pastoral England where the Prothonotary, the Register of Wills, the Sheriff, the Recorder of Deeds, and the Clerk of Courts all first appeared as a civilized alternative to the then-current practice of settling one’s affairs by running one’s neighbor through with a broadsword. Ah, but if you think that when it comes to the row offices there is nothing new under the sun, well then, once again, you’d be wrong. The long-term denizens who held those positions year after year after year are gone now, replaced by a new generation of office holders. We thought it might be an appropriate time to inquire of them what changes they have brought to their high office during their stewardship thus far. We also thought we’d share that information with you. PROTHONOTARY firm to finish all the scanning. I’ve “I’ve established an administrative CHRISTINA O’BRIEN also started an immigration and hearing procedure for those people naturalization book project to make who are no longer under court t’s been many those records available online for supervision but who still have years since Harry S. I people interested in genealogy. The outstanding fines, restitution Truman inquired of original records are very fragile and payments, and costs owing. We David L. Lawrence this is a way to preserve them. already have one hundred such during a parade in Pittsburgh in “In addition, we will soon hearings scheduled in November the 1950s, “What the hell is a begin accepting credit cards for filing alone. Our objective is to work prothonotary?” Well, unlike the fees. That should make it easier for out payment plans or proceed with President of the United States, we attorneys. I also am very interested in contempt hearings. In the year 2010, all know what a Prothonotary is, that setting up e-filing.” we collected almost $5 million in in Westmoreland County the office is fines, restitution payments, and costs. currently held by Christina O’Brien, And we now proceed with driver’s and that she is determined to bring CLERK OF COURTS BRYAN KLINE license suspensions for Motor Vehicle new services to the office. Code infractions in which there are “I’ve broadened the scope of s Clerk of unpaid monies.” passport services,” she says, “and ACourts, Bryan The Administrative Offices of the we now take passport photos in Kline has also made Pa. Courts (AOPC) has appointed the office. Instead of having to go some meaningful Bryan to the statewide Restitution elsewhere for the photos, passport changes in the way Task Force where he works with applicants can get all their passport the office functions. The Clerk’s office colleagues from around the state on stuff done in one stop. We’re also now accepts online payments for fines the intransigent problem of collection. back-scanning all filed documents, and restitution. He has been very Bryan is also considering except for divorce files and sealed active in modernizing the office’s implementing e-filing, even though, cases. We’re back to 1997 now and approach to the collection of fine have contracted with an outside and restitution payments. continued on page 8 IN Remembering Civics Jury New To-Wit: THIS President’s Our Education Trial Member by S. ISSUE 211Message 3Colleagues 9Program Verdicts 12 Sketches13 Sponte 2 • sidebar NOVEMBER 2012 President’s Message Pride In Membership by David S. DeRose, Esq. ver the past months as Bar President, I trust that I have O conveyed a message that I am proud to be a Westmoreland Bar Association member. There are a host of reasons why, and I know, of course, that you share my opinion. Sometimes, we all have an “a-ha” moment and the organization’s strength L and viability manifests On September 8, 2012, WBA member Don Rigone (at far right of left photo) and retired itself when you were WBA member Ralph Conrad (at center of right photo) led a daylong tour of Antietam least expecting it. National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., for WBA members and their guests. In September, I went on the WBA-sponsored trip to the Antietam Battlefield. September 17 of this year in every respect, exceeded any exactly the type of thing that we, marked the 150th anniversary of expectations that I may have had. as an Association, need to promote to the bloodiest single day in American The pride I feel in our organization improve the professional image issue military history. Our group, which is in no small part represented by that looms around us. We had two consisted of about a dozen attorneys Don and Ralph’s well-researched, attorneys who are obviously extremely and their guests, and several other informative, insightful, and articulate knowledgeable about the events of the members of the public, were hosted description of the events of that American Civil War, but were willing for the day by our battlefield guides, single-day Antietam battle. to share their time and talents with us WBA member Donald Rigone and I have been to many Civil War as a group and with members of the retired member, Ralph Conrad. battlefields and taken different types public in a most memorable day. As I boarded the bus that Saturday of tours with park rangers and others, In July 2013, we will commemorate morning for what would be an all-day and no one in my experience has the 150th anniversary of the Battle tour of the battlefield, I expected to be anything on the Rigone and Conrad of Gettysburg. I would hope that educated. Let me tell you that this day, Civil War school. You really had the we could encourage the Rigone and feeling in listening to them that you Conrad Civil War school to go on the were actually there, 150 years ago, road again, but this time it would be witnessing the battle. Both were able wonderful to fill two or three buses to relate actual accounts from soldiers with our members, their guests, and who were in the battle; describe members of the public in general. the conditions that existed at that There truly is great talent and time before and after the battle; capability within our organization, name the key commanders for the both law-related and non-law-related. North and the South; chronicle It is up to us to harness that talent troop movements, numbers of troops, and utilize it to not only make our numbers of casualties, and challenges WBA membership more valuable and that were faced because of the number meaningful, but to also help to put to of dead and wounded; and the list rest the negative opinion of attorneys goes on. that exists in the public sector. The members of the public who were on this tour were certainly as equally impressed with the presentation as I had been. This is NOVEMBER 2012 sidebar • 3 Remembering Our Colleagues Donald R. Hacker Timothy J. Editor’s note: Donald R. Hacker died Thursday, June 7, 2012. McCormick He was predeceased by his first wife, Martha F.; a son, John Robert; and his brother, Thomas Hacker. He is survived by his Editor’s note: Timothy J. McCormick passed away on Sunday, wife, Mary Lou; a daughter, Phyllis Anne Gilland; two sons, June 17, 2012, in Charleston, S.C., after a two-year battle David Hacker and Donald R. Hacker Jr.; a grandson, Robert against leukemia and other health-related complications. He is Dustin Hacker; and a sister, Dorothy Hacker. survived by his wife of 31 years, Linda (Markle) McCormick; son, David; daughters, Meghan (Mike) Denny and Emily by Eric Bononi, Esq. (Samir) Saba; sisters, Mary, Sheila and Joan; brothers, Richard, Patrick, and Jake; a number of nieces and nephews; onald Hacker was a fixture and his devoted canine companion, Max. in our legal community for Dover 50 years. He attended Saint by Michael J. Stewart, Esq. Vincent College and then proceeded on to law school at Georgetown University. ith all due respect to the man Following law school, he completed Officer in the TV commercial, Tim Training School for the United States Navy. W McCormick may have been the most interesting man in the world. L In the Navy, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel during the Korean Conflict. Tim loved life. He loved his devoted wife, Donald R. Hacker, Linda, his children, David, Meghan, and 1985 WBA Directory After his years of service were completed, he set up his legal practice. Don and his Emily, his extended family, friends, his first wife, Martha (now deceased), had four children: Robert dogs, the practice of law, politics and L specifically the Democratic Party, a fine (now deceased), David and Donald, who both reside locally, Tim McCormick and Phyllis Anne, who practices law in Las Vegas. Don is red wine, a good beer, music, the City of survived by Mary Lou Hacker, his wife of 25 years. In his Greensburg, Pawleys Island, S.C., Penn State, Pitt prime, Don was also an avid fisherman and hunter. Basketball, Ninja Turtles, political buttons, collectible pins, Don served the Mount Pleasant School District as storytelling, and conversation with just about anyone who Solicitor for 32 years.